No "Maybe" About Maple Glazed Salmon

Next time you think of grilling salmon, run, don’t walk, to the pantry (or however far you have to go) for the fixin’s for Maple Mustard Glaze.

I eat salmon often, and usually steam it. I don’t know what got me thinking—even dreaming—about maple syrup recently. Could it be that the aroma of all the sap that was cooked down into syrup here in New Hampshire still lingers in the air?

I may never know the source of my craving, but with fresh fish in the fridge and everything necessary for the Maple Mustard Glaze recipe on page 159 of The Everyday Cookbook, I know the outcome. The glaze took only minutes to make. I spread it on and under the salmon (a fillet, skin on, not the steak cuts suggested) in the morning before I went to work.

That night, I broiled the salmon in the oven (on a middle rack, not on the highest one immediately below the heat; if grilling, place the rack close enough to cook but not burn the glaze)—and my, oh, my! The fragrance of sweet maple, tangy mustard, and lively ginger filled the air.

The fillet was flaky, the glaze sublime—and all together, dinner was scrumptious, with lots left over for lunch.

Try it—and tell me what you think!

Grilled Salmon With Maple Mustard Glaze

GLAZE:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons soy sauce

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon peeled and chopped fresh ginger

SALMON:

4 salmon steaks, 1-inch thick

salt and pepper, to taste

For glaze: In a small bowl, combine the oil, mustard, maple syrup, soy sauce, lemon juice, and ginger and whisk to blend. Pour half of the sauce in a small, nonreactive casserole.

For salmon: Blot the salmon with paper towels to remove surface moisture. Lightly salt and pepper both sides, and lay the salmon on the sauce in the casserole. Spoon the remaining sauce over and spread evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare the grill. Cook the salmon over medium-hot coals for 5 to 6 minutes, per side, turning once.

Makes 4 servings.

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Janice Stillman joined the Almanac as editor in 2000. When she is not working the words, she enjoys peddling a bicycle, growing things to eat, cooking, and handcrafts (especially knitting because needles and yarn can be taken anywhere).